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At the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina debate on Jan. 16. Romney dropped the line that he would only consider releasing them if he became president, instead saying he would “probably” release his tax returns in April. Just days later, Romney took a new line on his tax returns, saying at the CNN debate in Charleston, S.C., on Jan. 19 he would indeed release them in April “when my taxes are complete for this year and I know if I’m the nominee.” But he drew boos from the crowd for saying he would “maybe” release 12 years of tax returns like his father did. “You know, I don’t know how many years I’ll release,” Romney said to catcalls from the audience.

Hours after the debate wrapped — and a world away from his staunch refusal in December to release his forms — Romney said the returns would definitely be out April 15. On Sunday, he changed course once again and said his 2010 return and estimated 2011 tax payments would be made public on the web on Tuesday.

Ridiculous. They only reason this is even an issue is because Gingrich made it one for his own benefit. No other candidate had released their either until Newt did for his own political benefit last week - and he did not release multiple years. This is a man being forced to disclose rather than changing a story.

His arguments make sense to me. He knows the left will jump all over him, so he'd like to do it all at once. He knows that it's largely irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, including politics, because he pays his taxes. He knows that he was taxed at the 35% or whatever it was when he first made his money, then 15% on the investments made with that money. There is nothing wrong with any of this. What's wrong is this bizarre assumption that this makes a dime's worth of difference to the fact that our country is in trouble and we need to find a leader who can get us out of it.

We literally can't afford more of Obama. Whoever the GOP nominee is gets my vote. The leftist media doesn't admit this, but the national debt has accelerated at an unprecedented rate under Obama, and it wasn't pretty to start with. It now EQUALS our entire ECONOMY. Reported in the UK, because the media here isn't honest enough to do so. This debt doesn't even count the fact that things like Obamacare won't add into the total debt until all parts of the law go into effect, and you can count on the fact that it will be much more expensive than projected, just like any other government program. To top off the horrible debt, all branches of the federal government get an automatic 10% increase in budget each year, based upon spending of the previous year. This is since the 70's. It doesn't take a mathematician to realize this is unsustainable growth and will quickly turn us into the EU if we aren't already. And don't count on Congress ever balancing the budget with so many politicians - on both sides- guilty of crony-capitalism with large campaign contributions from tax-exempt corporations.

Contrary to the understanding of those 'standing with the 99%,' Washington has no intention of fixing any problems within Wall Street - they've been in bed with them (on both sides) for generations, and have rigged things in the personal favor of their insider trading and political donors in the forms of tax exemption and government money. According to the recent book, "Throw them all out," a strong majority of the corruption is on the Democrat side. Obama himself has more campaign cash from Wall Street than all the GOP contenders combined. We absolutely need to look for politicians - on both sides- who recognize the culture of corruption in Washington bringing us headlong into financial crisis, and who have the character to withstand Washington's corruption and change things for the citizens of the country. We shouldn't be distracted by the partisan bickering in Washington and be partisan ourselves, that will hardly help the problem.

It never ceases to amaze me how some Democrats will just shout the same talking points over and over without looking at facts, and especially without looking at both sides of an argument. There is plenty of flip-flopping and corruption with Democrats too. Partisanship causes blindness on both sides. You've got to read both sides anymore to get a good idea of what's really going on, because both sides leave stuff out. The liberal media does count on its followers being gullible enough to not think for themselves. It is your duty to be a well-informed voter, not a brainwashed and partisan voter. I'll go even further: to really understand the conservative movement, you've got to listen to (or read) Rush Limbaugh for at least a couple weeks. The 'conservative' media isn't always.

Funny how Romney wants Newt Gingrich to come clean of Freddie Mac when he was spending tax payer dollars erasing hard drives and destroying computers to erase all evidence of what he did as Governor of MA.

Will Willard Romney release all of his Bain Capital records from when he was CEO? All those deals he made that bankrupted American Corporations, sent jobs to countries like China and India.

Will Willard Romney release 12 years of Tax Returns like his daddy? Who was probably the last Honest Politician with that last name.

He followed his daddys advice on not running for President if you have a mortgage but doesnt follow his advice on taxes?

Was your daddy wrong to release 12 years of tax returns Willard? Is that the reason why he lost the nomination?

What good is it to release tax returns when we already know that he's evading taxes with Cayman Island accounts? We would have to be bleepin nuts to elect a man to the highest office in the country who has evaded his share of the bill, shifting that responsibility to the rest of us.

Dear EW8: When you refer to the media as 'the liberal media' it tells us all where you stand. Everyone is to the left of your viewpoint, therefore you're on the lunatic fringe on the right, somewhere bordering on fascist. In case you don't recall, it was the policies of Bush and the Republicans that caused the financial collapse, just months before he left office. And if you need further reminders, it was Bush who said he wanted to kill Social Security by drowning the country in debt. A further reminder of that was when W commented that he considers his greatest failure in office was that he didn't kill Social Security. Putting us deeply in debt has long been at the heart of Republican politics. It's the worst kept secret. Out of the last 22 recessions in our history, all but 7 occured under Republicans. While they talk about fiscal responsibility, their actions are just the opposite.

Another note to EW8: Mitt's campain is financed by Goldman Sachs and the Kock brothers' network which they refer to as the Koch-topus. The anti-Obama ads are paid for by the petroleum industry and the wall street folks.

What good is it to release tax returns when we already know that he's evading taxes with Cayman Island accounts? We would have to be bleepin nuts to elect a man to the highest office in the country who has evaded his share of the bill, shifting that responsibility to the rest of us.

Come on - Mitt had to pay 15 cents of every dollar his assets earned! What more do you people want??

Of course he has accounts in the Caymanns- that is what successful people do! Americans need to stop being Lazy and Envious of people like Mitt, and admit that people of the Productive Class like Mitt need to be in charge!

Newt is way to poor to be President - 67 years old and he's only made a few million dollars in this great land of opportunity! Heck one year of speaker fees is chump change for Mitt, but Newt slathers for it. That shows he is LAZY and STUPID! Barely a member of the Producing Class.

Newt says things like this "Vulture Capitalist Mitt Romney bankrupts American Companies, ships American jobs to China, then gives a percentage of the profits and stocks to the Mormon Church and keeps the rest in the Cayman Islands."

This just shows that Newt is ANTI-CAPITALIST! Of course some people lose their jobs in Capitalism. That is because they are LAZY! If you lose your job, blame yourself, you should have worked harder! CEO's like Mitt have to make hard choices and fire lazy workers, or break up entire companies when needed to keep providing PROFIT to their shareholders.

This is what our Founding Fathers saw as the purpose of the United States - and to be against Profit is to be against America!

When Mitt is elected, he will cancel Socialist Security and Medicare, and lazy people like Newt who have only saved a few million for their retirement will need to leave the country or love it (and leave!).

This whole tax issue is a red herring started by the media and injected into the discussion by Newt. Romney is wealthy. No surprise. Romney pays around 15% taxes on dividends. No surprise. Romney had some offshore accounts. No surprise who wouldn't that had millions of dollars? We need to get back to the real issues folks.

S.C. would rather vote for a serial adulterer and ethics violator than an experienced leader. Newt will get obliterated in a general elections. He has the ideal baggage for the Obama campaign machine to go after 24 hours a day until election day. Newt has been a lobbyist for years and everyone knows it. Newt was kicked out as speaker of the house and that is just a plain and simple fact. Newt supported a national health care mandate and that is just a fact. Sure he can say that he was wrong, just like he was wrong to commit adultery multiple times, just like he was wrong to consult Freddie Mac, just like he was wrong to support a mandate, just like he was wrong to declare the Ryan plan right-wing social engineering. I am all about repentance and forgiveness. This man has a history of executing poor judgement.

Sure he says all the right things to get the right-wing of the party riled up. Down with liberals. Down with the media. Down with Obama. Down with wall street. The man is a train wreck waiting to happen again, and again, and again, He can repent each time he makes a mistake but do we really want someone that makes so many bad judgments?

Wake up conservatives. Get a grip and stop allowing Newt to manipulate you into thinking he won't continue to exercise poor judgement. He is not fit for the presidency.

What is our country coming to when a dispicable little man like Newt is even a consideration for the leader of the free world.

We can't afford 4 more years of Obamas failed leadership. We can't afford to nominate someone that the Obama campaign machine will obliterate in a matter of weeks. Oh, wait but Newt can debate... Do you really think that there will be more than 3 debates? Do you really think that the media is going to give Newt a fair shake? Newt clearly doesn't have the ground game to win this thing. He cannot simply rely on a couple of 1 hour debates to obtain the keys to the white house.

Conservatives, I implore you to stop listening to clever soundbites and lets get down to substance on who can lead us back on the right track. Romney is the only candidate running that has the skill sets that this country needs. If you want to get exited and see good acting then go to a broadway show. That is in essence what Newt has provided us conservatives thus far. Good grief, its sickening that we are even talking about him as a viable option.

If Mitt and Newt are the only options Republicans can come up with, the party is bankrupt. We have the choice of a disgraced former speaker or a man who hides millions in the Caymans to avoid paying taxes and puts 22% of the companies he purchased into bankruptcy. Nope. Sorry. Not voting for either of these crooks.

Americans do have a choice in this election, but it is not between Obama and one of the other Republicans. There is no substantive difference there. The true choice is between Ron Paul and unlimited government, which is government under Obama, Romney, Gingrich, or Santorum. That means a government that can tax you for anything it wishes to, can detain and search you without warrant or probable cause, and can send soldiers to arrest you and imprison you indefinitely without legal representation, a hearing, or a trial. It is a government whose power knows no limits, that can forcefully control every area of your life and force you to pay for its domination of the entire globe. Whatever happens in the years ahead, Americans cannot say that they did not have an opportunity to choose liberty over tyranny. This may be their last chance.

Tom Mullen, A Return to Common Sense: Reawakening Liberty in the Inhabitants of America.

The problem with Ron Paul is that his ideas sound great in slogans and soundbites but aren't very practical. Sure, we'd all love to pay zero taxes but then who would pay the bills. Oh, that's right, Paul believes in having a small government and leaving everything up to The States. But the States are 50 separate entities. Do we rely on our local 50 State governments to regulate commerce? Wow. That could make doing business pretty difficult. And I'd love to hear just what parts of federal governemt Paul would do away with. Should we abolish the EPA so that companies can go back to billowing cancer causing agents at us? How about if we stop regulating agriculture so that suppliers can feed us cancer causing agents in our food chain? Or lets do away with the labor department and let Newt have his way, firing janitors and putting 4th graders to work scrubbing urinals? Then there's that pesky problem of "limited government" - unless it's a question of regulating bedroom behavior. Ron Paul would leave it up to the 50 States to regulate abortions or sexual conduct. He's okay with 50 governments regulationg us, but has a problem with a single government regulating things. I guess the U.S. Constitution would be subordinate to the individual States. See? That's the pesky truth about libertarians.

So basically what we have is Newt trashing everyone to feed his ego and ensuring a democrat win in November, and it is most likely he is being funded by the DNC or their largest donors. Newt doesnt' beleive in capitalism, Newt believes in big government, Newt believes in AGW, Newt believes in whatever he thinks will provide him personally the greatest benefit at the time.

I'm an independent who like most independents is tired of Obama and his destruction of our economy and horrible mistakes in both national and international affairs. I'm fed up with the govenrment intruding more and more into my daily life, and I will not support anyone who supports more internet control by the government, like Newt.

I will not vote for Newt and I will probably stay home this time and not vote at all. This wil be the secopnd national election I've boycotted since I was able to vote, and the only other one was Nixon versus McCarthy. Once again both paries have let me down and have people running who I can't hold my nose and vote for. Nixon was a criminal and he and Newt were a disgrace to their offices and were forced to resign in shame. Neither deserves anything but scorn now. I wanted Humphrey to win the democrat nomination so I could vote for someone I could trust and believe in. I regretted not voting for Lee Hamilton, but only by staying home could I have any impact at all. McCarthy and Obama are socialists who care nothing for the constitution.

Getting the independents to stay home is exactly what the folks who are funding Mitt and Newt are hoping for. it isn't the Dems that will decide the election, it's the independents. Newt knows that if Republicans can turn them off and make them stay home, they win.

Video on the News with Mitt Romney saying " let them lose their homes" in Mitt Romney's response to mortgage help.

Mitt Romney Focuses on Housing Crisis is an example of Mitt Romney's virtue of " Creative Destruction " in his exploitation of the working man and women. Mitt Romney says let the middle class and the 99% ers lose their homes so the 1% can buy them cheap and rent them back to the 99%.